Checklists by trade
3 lists · 13 items · 22 photosDeep foundations inspection checklists
Deep foundations inspection checklists for the rough-in, final and punch walks: 3 free lists, 13 items and 22 photo requirements, each item naming what to look for and the photo that proves it. Work is commonly verified against ACI concrete practice; the edition in force is the AHJ's call on each project.
The deep foundations walks, in build order
Deep foundations Rough-in· Deep foundationsDeep foundations rough-in inspection checklistPile and shaft installation verified against the geotech criteria before concrete or backfill hides it6 items11 photosDeep foundations Final· Deep foundationsDeep foundations final inspection checklistCutoffs, cap dowels and integrity or load-test coordination verified against as-built locations4 items7 photosDeep foundations Punch· Deep foundationsDeep foundations punch checklistOut-of-tolerance heads, damaged reinforcement and installation documentation closed out3 items4 photos
Where each walk sits in the schedule
- Deep foundations rough-in inspection checklistrough-in
- As each pile is driven or each shaft is drilled and reinforced, before concrete is placed or the excavation is backfilled — once it's covered the record is all that's left. Run by: The GC's superintendent or a geotechnical field rep observing installation pier by pier, with the pile crew foreman.
- Deep foundations final inspection checklistfinal
- After piles and shafts are trimmed to cutoff and before pile caps and grade beams are formed, so any deficient element is caught while it's still exposed. Run by: The GC's superintendent with the geotechnical rep and the structural engineer of record's field observer before caps are formed.
- Deep foundations punch checklistpunch
- After the final walk flags deficient elements, before pile caps are placed and the foundation is buried. Run by: The GC's superintendent with the geotechnical rep, resolving flagged elements against the engineer's direction.
What most often sends deep foundations work back
- A driven pile called to refusal on blow count while the founding elevation is short of what the geotech report requires, and nobody reconciles the two.
- A drilled shaft concreted before the base is cleaned, leaving slurry and cuttings trapped under the tip.
- Rebar cage set against the shaft wall on one side with no spacers, so the cover disappears where it matters.
- Cutoff elevation trimmed low, leaving too little embedment of the pile into the cap.
- Dowels or embeds for the cap missing or bent out of position after the head is chipped down.
- As-built locations never surveyed, so an out-of-tolerance pile isn't picked up until the cap won't fit the layout.
- An out-of-position pile 'corrected' by shifting the cap on paper without the engineer sizing the eccentricity.
- Installation logs, driving records and test reports never assembled, leaving gaps the closeout package can't fill.
Verified against
Families only, never clause numbers. Adoption varies by jurisdiction; confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
Common questions
- Which deep foundations inspections do these checklists cover?
- Deep foundations rough-in inspection checklist (rough-in): As each pile is driven or each shaft is drilled and reinforced, before concrete is placed or the excavation is backfilled — once it's covered the record is all that's left. Deep foundations final inspection checklist (final): After piles and shafts are trimmed to cutoff and before pile caps and grade beams are formed, so any deficient element is caught while it's still exposed. Deep foundations punch checklist (punch): After the final walk flags deficient elements, before pile caps are placed and the foundation is buried.
- Who runs a deep foundations inspection?
- The GC's superintendent or a geotechnical field rep observing installation pier by pier, with the pile crew foreman. The GC's superintendent with the geotechnical rep and the structural engineer of record's field observer before caps are formed. The GC's superintendent with the geotechnical rep, resolving flagged elements against the engineer's direction.
- What most often sends deep foundations work back?
- A driven pile called to refusal on blow count while the founding elevation is short of what the geotech report requires, and nobody reconciles the two. A drilled shaft concreted before the base is cleaned, leaving slurry and cuttings trapped under the tip. Rebar cage set against the shaft wall on one side with no spacers, so the cover disappears where it matters. Cutoff elevation trimmed low, leaving too little embedment of the pile into the cap.
- Which standards is deep foundations work verified against?
- ACI concrete practice, published by the American Concrete Institute. Adoption varies by jurisdiction. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction enforces before you run a walk against it.
- Can I run these checklists in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace and load any of the 3 lists (13 items in total). The Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached, and approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.